Marranitos/Puerquitos for Dia de los Muertos

Marranitos made by the Muy Bueno Cookbook Blog

Dia de los Muertos is less than two weeks away – so it’s time to start gathering some recipes to celebrate. We’ve previously featured sugar skulls, but for those looking for a different sort of treat for the Day of the Dead might want to try these delicious gingerbread pigs called, alternatively, marranitos, cochinitos, or puerquitos (all variations on “little pig”). These little pig cookies are made with a generous helping of molasses and unrefined cane sugar, piloncillo, giving them a rich gingerbread-y flavor. The marranitos above were made by the Muy Bueno cookbook blog, which provides a recipe as well as a lovely photoshoot and accompanying story. Marranitos are cut using a special pig-shaped cookie cutter, and as you might be able to tell, they are quite a bit larger than the typical cookie. Not strictly a “Dia de Los Muertos” food, marranitos are enjoyed year round and are especially good with coffee for a light breakfast. We found a large pig cookie cutter for sale on CopperGifts, and we definitely think we need to add some of these pig cookies to our repertoire.